Size‐dependent mortality in a Neotropical savanna tree: the role of height‐related adjustments in hydraulic architecture and carbon allocation

Zhang, Yongjiang; Meinzer, Frederick C.; Hao, Guang‐You; Scholz, Fabián Gustavo; Bucci, Sandra Janet; Takahashi, Frederico Scherr Caldeira; Villalobos‐Vega, Randol; Giraldo, Juan Pablo; Cao, Kun‐Fang; Hoffmann, William A.; Goldstein, Guillermo

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.02012.x

Cited by 94 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Alternatively, and considering that fastergrowing trees were also larger, at least in terms of d.b.h., the pattern observed may also be related to indirect effects of tree size. Tall trees experience more severe water deficits, due to their longer hydraulic path length and higher hydraulic resistance (Domec et al 2008), and they may have a lower return in carbon gain from their investment in stem and leaf biomass (Zhang et al 2009). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stand- and tree-level determinants of the drought response of Scots pine radial growth

et al. 2011

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Characterizing the responses of key tree species to extreme climatic events may provide important information for predicting future forest responses to increased climatic variability. Here we aimed at determining which tree- and stand-level attributes were more closely associated with the effect of a severe drought on the radial growth of Scots pine, both in terms of immediate impact and recovery after the drought event. Our dataset included tree-ring series from 393 plots located close to the dry limit of the species range. Time series analysis and mixed-effects models were used to study the growth of each tree and its detailed response to a severe drought event that occurred in 1986. Our results showed that the radial growth responses of Scots pine were determined primarily by tree-level characteristics, such as age and previous growth rate, and secondarily by stand basal area and species richness, whereas local climate had a relatively minor effect. Fast-growing trees were more severely affected by the drought and retained proportionally lower growth rates up to three years after the episode. In absolute terms, however, fast-growing trees performed better both during and after the event. Older trees were found to be less resilient to drought. The effect of stand basal area and species richness indicated that competition for resources worsened the effects of drought, and suggested that the effect of interspecific competition may be particularly detrimental during the drought year.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stand- and tree-level determinants of the drought response of Scots pine radial growth

et al. 2011

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“…This suggests that a smaller size predisposes to drought-induced dieback and death through a lower capacity to buffer the negative effects of soil water deficit by increasing hydraulic capacitance [79]. The higher vulnerability of anisohydric oak species may be explained because they rely on hydraulic capacitance to mitigate the risk of hydraulic failure associated with maintaining high transpiration rates during drought [80].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drought Decreases Growth and Increases Mortality of Coexisting Native and Introduced Tree Species in a Temperate Floodplain Forest

Colangelo

Camarero

Ripullone

et al. 2018

Forests

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Forest dieback and mortality events induced by drought stress are widely reported. However, few studies have jointly examined the role played by drought on growth and mortality in tree species inhabiting floodplain forests. Here, we focused on mortality events occurring since the early 2000s on large areas in a floodplain forest located within the Ticino regional park in Northwest Italy, where affected native (pedunculate oak, Quercus robur L.) and introduced tree species (black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L.) coexist. We related growth with climate data and drought severity to discern if these species were similarly affected by drought. Then, we: (i) evaluated the presence of pathogens of the genus Phytophthora in recently dead oak trees since this was the most affected species and pathogens are often associated with oak decline cases; and (ii) compared xylem vessel diameter and tree-ring C isotope discrimination (δ 13 C) to highlight differences in water-use strategies between living and dead trees in both species. The radial growth of living and dead trees started diverging in the 1970s, although only after warm-drought periods occurred during 1990s did this divergence become significant. Growth of trees that died responded more negatively to drought than in the case of living trees. Moreover, trees that died formed smaller xylem vessels in the past than living trees and also showed more negative δ 13 C values in both tree species, indicating a higher intrinsic water-use efficiency in living than in dead trees. The pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands was only detected in one recently dead tree, suggesting that it is unlikely that dead oaks were predisposed to drought damage by the pathogen. We conclude that a climate shift from wet to warm-dry summer conditions in the early 1990s triggered forest dieback and induced mortality in both tree species. Temperate floodplain forests are susceptible to drought-induced dieback. The drought-sensitivity of both species could lead to successional shifts driven by a reduction of N inputs through N-fixing by black locust and the replacement of oak by drought-tolerant species.

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“…Generally, declines in K leaf precede any decrease in stem hydraulic conductivity for angiosperms (Hao et al, 2008;Chen et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2009;Johnson et al, 2011;Yang et al, 2012) and gymnosperms (Johnson et al, 2011;McCulloh et al, 2014), suggesting that the leaf is a more sensitive part of the water transport pathway than the stem. Measurement of the effects of decreasing water potential on K leaf for some conifer species suggests that K leaf is severely impaired or even totally lost during the day, when transpiration is still considerably high (Domec et al, 2009;Johnson et al, 2009aJohnson et al, , 2011.…”

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Reversible Deformation of Transfusion Tracheids in Taxus baccata Is Associated with a Reversible Decrease in Leaf Hydraulic Conductance

et al. 2014

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Declines in leaf hydraulic conductance (K leaf ) with increasing water stress have been attributed to cavitation of the leaf xylem. However, in the leaves of conifers, the reversible collapse of transfusion tracheids may provide an alternative explanation. Using Taxus baccata, a conifer species without resin, we developed a modified rehydration technique that allows the separation of declines in K leaf into two components: one reversible and one irreversible upon relaxation of water potential to 21 MPa. We surveyed leaves at a range of water potentials for evidence of cavitation using cryo-scanning electron microscopy and quantified dehydration-induced structural changes in transfusion tracheids by cryo-fluorescence microscopy. Irreversible declines in K leaf did not occur until leaf water potentials were more negative than 23 MPa. Declines in K leaf between 22 and 23 MPa were reversible and accompanied by the collapse of transfusion tracheids, as evidenced by cryo-fluorescence microscopy. Based on cryo-scanning electron microscopy, cavitation of either transfusion or xylem tracheids did not contribute to declines in K leaf in the reversible range. Moreover, the deformation of transfusion tracheids was quickly reversible, thus acting as a circuit breaker regulating the flux of water through the leaf vasculature. As transfusion tissue is present in all gymnosperms, the reversible collapse of transfusion tracheids may be a general mechanism in this group for the protection of leaf xylem from excessive loads generated in the living leaf tissue.

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Size‐dependent mortality in a Neotropical savanna tree: the role of height‐related adjustments in hydraulic architecture and carbon allocation

Cited by 94 publications

References 61 publications

Stand- and tree-level determinants of the drought response of Scots pine radial growth

Stand- and tree-level determinants of the drought response of Scots pine radial growth

Drought Decreases Growth and Increases Mortality of Coexisting Native and Introduced Tree Species in a Temperate Floodplain Forest

Reversible Deformation of Transfusion Tracheids in Taxus baccata Is Associated with a Reversible Decrease in Leaf Hydraulic Conductance

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